I Don't Believe in Love
by Creepy Lil Critter
Summary: A young Bellatrix and the events which lead her to become the Dark Lord's most loyal Death Eater. Rating subject to change depending on where the plot goes.
1. Fate's Intentions

I thought I would start a more long term project and see where it takes me. For now this is a K rating since there isn't anything explicit within or planned. Yet.

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Fate's Intentions**

Bellatrix Black was her name, torture was her game. However, she had not always been a sadistic, murderously cruel servant to the Dark Lord, there was a time when she had been just as innocent as you or I. Indeed she showed signs of a cold and heartless nature from early childhood but nothing to give rise to suspicions of murder in later life. Bullying your sister is one thing, killing her daughter is another.

Her life of obsession and undying loyalty to Lord Voldemort had its origins perhaps when she first read that Daily Prophet article in the Great Hall. Being an upstanding member of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, she of course had very strong views of what blood was acceptable and what was not and his ideology was exactly that. Call it fate or childish obsession, Bella would never be the same again. That scrap of paper had set her on the path to infamy, morbid obsession, prison and eventually death. But the twelve year old girl thought nothing of this as she exited the hall, head held high, curls bouncing almost arrogantly and a folded newspaper tucked securely under one arm.

Yes, that day had changed her – she had always been ambitious but she had assumed she would marry well, settle down and have children. She very rarely contemplated it – what twelve year old did? - but she had reconsidered her whole life's purpose in the matter of a few minutes. Who wanted to sit at home all day and discipline children? Not her, that was boring. Bella wanted adventure, needed a purpose, desired approval and joining this Lord Voldemort seemed to promise all of that.

Five years later and her obsession has only intensified along with her temper and unruliness. Now seventeen, Bella is no longer a child and she certainly doesn't wish to be treated as one.

It's Christmas of 1968 and Bellatrix Black lies awake in her bed. Her dark eyes are wide open and she is coiling a strand of hair subconsciously around her index finger. Her thoughts have wandered to Lord Voldemort as they so often had in the five years she had known about him but they are far more serious than before. She wants in and wants in now. Patience is a virtue and one that Bella failed to possess. She is restless and unable to stay still – what if she left now? Got dressed and apparated out of the house? She was of age after all and she might be able to get back by morning if she left soon… But where would she find Lord Voldemort? A small twist of the lips formed when she recalled something Rodolphus Lestrange had boasted to her once.

"_My father works for that man." Rodolphus points a finger at one of Bella's many newspaper clippings about Lord Voldemort. "My father says that he is one of the most powerful wizards in Britain."_

"_Your father wouldn't know power if it killed him in the night. Lord Voldemort is the most powerful wizard in the world and I fully intend to help him rise to power," she replies proudly, a self-satisfied expression playing across her face. _

Mister Lestrange was a follower of the Dark Lord – he would know his whereabouts, surely. Determined as ever Bella could be, she flung the bed sheets off and hastily dressed, listening as carefully as she could while she did so for any approaching footsteps. She didn't really expect any in the middle of the night but her mind was racing with all the possibilities of her actions. As she pulled a cloak over her shoulders, she suddenly froze at the sound of creaking floorboards outside her room. Who was it? She scowled irritably and slowly reached for her wand from where it was placed on her dresser. The wand clicked against the wooden surface as it slipped a little from her grasp. The creaking outside her door stopped suddenly and Bella held her breath, waiting to see who it was.

Bella wasn't exactly sure why she was rooted the spot, maybe because she didn't want to be found out yet and sneaking out of the house in the dead of night would certainly raise suspicions. Her breathing was very shallow as her eyes focused on the doorway. It was too dark to really see anything but she stared nonetheless.

A horrible grating squeal from the doorknob being turned very slowly made Bella cringe with discomfort. It was only a matter of seconds – though it felt a lot longer – before the door was prized open to reveal the unwelcome visitor.

* * *

Would love to hear from anyone who takes the time to read this - I'm just a beginner so you'll have to bare with me lol


	2. Defiance

Okay, now to get the story really started! Sorry if the last chapter was a little dull but I felt the need to set up some kind of structure and background first since everyone seems to have their own interpretation of Bella's childhood. Hope you enjoy! =)

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Defiance**

"Dromeda."

It wasn't a greeting nor was it a question. Bella knew it was her the instant she saw her – Andromeda was much taller than Narcissa and the white of her night dress was quite visible. Bella held her wand out and wordlessly lit it so that a bright beam of light shone across the room, confirming her suspicions. The middle Black sister was stood in Bella's doorway, her arms folded across her chest while her eyes scrutinized her with obvious suspicion. Bella returned her look with a disgusted glare, furious that she might be held back any longer from seeking out Lord Voldemort. What did Andromeda think she was doing?

"What?" Bella demanded sharply, an irritable scowl on her face as she continued to glare furiously at her sister. Andromeda frowned at her older sister's hostile tone.

"Where are you going, Bella?" she asked calmly although the way she spoke, it was clear that she was going to disapprove of it no matter what Bella said.

"That is none of your business," she replied curtly. It was only after she said this that she realized that she had just inadvertently admitted that she intended to sneak out. This realization caused her scowl to intensify three-fold.

Deciding to waste as little time as she could arguing with her sister, she checked her hair in the mirror and proceeded to touch up her make-up, purposely ignoring that Andromeda was still stood in the doorway.

"Tell me where you're going Bella! It's one o'clock in the morning – who are you going to see?" It seemed Andromeda was going to persist in her own agenda instead of getting the hell out of her room and going back to bed.

"Why should I tell you?" she demanded, suddenly turning and giving her whole attention to the figure in her doorway.

"If you don't tell me, I will tell mother and father because if you're going to meet a boy in the middle of the night I don't they'll be too pleased!" Andromeda fixed her with a determined expression which Bella met with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh will you now? Last I recall you were doing the very same thing only at school or so I've heard from the girls in your dorm," she grinned triumphantly as her sister's face fell. Her point had been made and she was going to take a couple seconds to gloat about it before she disapparated. Well, she had intended to had Andromeda not spoken again.

"You're not meeting a boy, are you?" She sounded as though she were only just working something out, as though some great reckoning was taking place. "You're going to join them aren't you?" her voice was full of incredulity and was that disgust? Bella stared coldly back at Andromeda, not showing any emotion that might confirm or deny the accusations. Bella strode over to where her sister stood and grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled so Andromeda's head was pulled backwards.

"If you tell anyone about this, then so help me I will tell mother and father that the boy you have been sneaking out to meet is a mudblood," Bella pursed her lips tightly together and pulled just a little harder as Andromeda's shock became more apparent. "Yes, that's right, I know. Cissy told me. For a Slytherin you sure are careless when you're trying to sneak around." She suddenly released her sister's hair and walked away from her again.

Bella didn't want her parents to know that she was seeking out Lord Voldemort – they respected and believed in everything he stood for but wanted their eldest daughter to marry a good pureblood man and settle down to produce heirs like a good little girl. Bella couldn't do that – it was completely against her nature and every fiber of her being. Bella liked action, excitement and adventure and she wanted her life to mean something. Being just another pretty little housewife and mother did not appeal to her in the slightest.

It seemed Andromeda was going to try one last time to convince her sister out of going as she stepped closer to her, her face resolute with the look of a martyr about her.

"That man is an abomination. Surely out of all those articles and news reports that you've read, you've heard of those disappearances? It's him! Can't you see that? He's a murderer! You can't support a mur-"

"Watch me," she cut in abruptly. She had pieced together the same conclusion as Andromeda weeks ago but instead of tarnishing her opinion of him, it heightened it. He was so dedicated to his cause and Bella wanted to be a part of that.

"As I said, Dromeda, if you breathe a word I will tell. As it is I want you to stop fooling around with the scum and start acting like a proper pureblood; I excused you for a while under the impression that it was a passing phase but it's been going on long enough from what I understand. It's time to rid yourself of Tanks and take an interest in some of the eligible Slytherin boys."

With that, Bella extinguished the wand light and disapparated, leaving the room and her sister in darkness.

"It's Tonks…" Andromeda murmured to the empty room, the sound of defeat evident in her voice.

* * *

Reviews of all natures welcome! =)


	3. Lumos

Chapter 3! Now my officially longest fanfic - not that that's saying much xD Anyway, thanks for reading and leave a review if you have the time – I love feedback ^.^

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Lumos**

Bellatrix reappeared a matter of moments later about half a mile from the Lestrange residence – of course she didn't realize this as it was almost pitch black outside and the only sign of light was a faint glow from the moon. The full moon was a long way off which was fortunate as she wouldn't be running into any werewolves had there been any in the area. However there was a strong wind which was carrying a light spray of rain along with it.

_Wretched weather – couldn't have been a nice still night, could it?_

Grimacing in annoyance, she lit her wand once again and looked around for a landmark of some sorts since she wasn't even sure she had apparated to the right place. Having only passed her apparition test some months ago and then spending a few months in Hogwarts where she couldn't practice, meant that she still hadn't perfected the skill although she fully intended to do so as soon as she was out of Hogwarts perhaps sooner if she could.

With an irritable sigh, she boosted her wand light so she had a wider expanse of light with which to look around with. After several minutes of walking, she saw a familiar set of gates and realized she must have apparated correctly after all as those were definitely the front gates that enclosed the Lestrange property. Bella hadn't visited the house too many times before, only with her father when he had business to discuss with Rodolphus and Rabastan's father and she had insisted on him taking her with him because she liked spending time alone with her father and getting away from her younger siblings.

Bella attempted to open one of the gates only to find it was locked. Sighing, she tapped the lock three times and unlocked it – to her surprise – it worked. She found it rather amusing that they had such poor security; a first year could have broken in. Nevertheless, she wasn't complaining and proceeded up the drive wishing she could've just apparated to the front door instead of having to trek up the whole drive but she didn't feel like trying to apparate closer as she obviously didn't know the place _that _well and she had already proven that she wasn't always accurate with long distance apparition and splinching herself in the dead of night would be extremely embarrassing.

Finally she was stood in front of the huge mansion but it very quickly became apparent that occupants must all be asleep and knocking would wake them all up. Bella didn't so much care about waking Rodolphus but his father. What if he told her parents? It was only last year that they had spoken to herself and Andromeda about being on their best behavior around families such as the Lestranges, and knowing Druella and Cygnus, waking them up in the middle of the night for a surprise visit wasn't exactly classified as 'good behavior'.

She had been about to go ahead and knock on the door despite the possibility of being found out by her parents, when a faint flicker of light in one of the ground floor windows attracted her attention. So someone was awake. Did she knock now or see whether the light returned? D

Deciding on the latter, she ran over to the window in question and extinguished her wand light hurriedly. It suddenly occurred to her that the drapes were not drawn – were their house elves accustomed to being lazy or did they prefer leaving their windows open to anyone who wished to look in? Whatever their reasoning, the curiosity was quickly replaced with a new one as the light returned and this time she could see whose wand it was being produced from.

Mr. Lestrange was the holder of the wand she discovered but he was not alone as she was about to find out. Quite suddenly, the whole room she had been looking in on was flooded with light and then the drapes were drawn and Bella could see no more. Determined as ever, she marched straight to the front door and knocked impatiently. For some reason she had the feeling that whatever was taking place in that room was something important, something exciting and she wanted to find out what it was.

As she waited at the door for her knock to be answered, it seemed as though every second was a minute and her impatience forced her to reach for the door knocker again, only to find the door open at the moment she was about to grasp it. Expecting to see an elf, she was visibly shocked to see Rodolphus stood before her.

"Black? What the hell are you doing here at this time of night?" he asked rather rudely, she thought. He quickly recovered his shock and lack of composure with a smug smirk. "You know if you if you wanted to see me, my room is directly above-" His flirtatious teasing desisted when the sound of his father's voice called out enquiring who was at the door. Bella was thankful for the interruption – Rodolphus had recently decided to hit puberty and his constant flirting with all the pureblooded girls - herself included - was very irritating and often ill-timed. He seemed to be lost for a reply at that moment, looking ever so slightly nervous for some reason and Bella presumed this was to do with the uncivil hour she had decided to visit. Little did Rodolphus know, she was not there to see him.

"It's… It's Bellatrix Black, father!" It seemed to finally occur to him, that she hadn't given a reason for her visit. "Why are you here?"

Bella drew herself up to full height and gave him a harsh stare – she didn't want to reveal her reasons to him of all people and certainly not after the blunt manner in which she had been asked. "Aren't you going to ask me inside? It's bloody freezing out here!" she retorted tartly, a frown knitting her eyebrows together. For a moment she thought he would refuse and demand an answer to his own question but after his short hesitation, he stepped aside and gestured for her to step inside. Glad to be out of the elements, Bella quickly accepted his forced offer and stepped inside the mansion.

* * *

I will probably add the next chapter today or tomorrow but I thought instead of running them together into one huge long chapter that I would split them into two, semi-long chapters.


	4. Enter Lord Voldemort

Not much to say really. Reviews of all natures welcome, this is chapter 4 and Enter Lord Voldemort!

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Enter Lord Voldemort  
**

As the large mansion door was closed behind her, Bella glanced around for Mr. Lestrange. She wanted to be quick about this since it was already about two thirty in the morning and wasting much more time would mean risking her parents catching her.

"You didn't answer my question, Black."

"I know. I don't ever intend to. Now where is your father?" Bella looked towards the nearest door which, theoretically, should be the room she had seen him enter along with another person she hadn't been fortunate enough to glimpse.

"My father is… busy. Far too busy to speak to Slytherin's most obnoxious seventh year," he replied with something resembling mocking. Bella's temper flared immediately and she whirled around to scowl at him most fiercely.

"Rodolphus Lestrange, what could your father possibly be busy doing at this hour that is so important? I have not come all this way to have _you_ tell me he is-"

"That he is serving his master?"

Bella froze at the sound of the new voice that had interjected her own. It was cold and harsh and sent shivers down her spine yet not unpleasantly so. It had a certain dignified air and power to it that almost took her breath away. Slowly, she turned around to see the owner of the voice that affected her so and was faced with the very person she had been so desperate to meet since that Daily Prophet article, the one that had inspired the obsession that had brought her there. He was tall, dark haired and undeniably handsome. His coal like eyes scrutinized her as she stared at him intensely, completely forgetting her manners. There was something unearthly about him she thought, something dark and seductive that lured her in. For perhaps the very first time in her life, Bellatrix Black was rendered completely and utterly speechless.

So instead of speaking, she dropped to her knees. Whether it was instinctive or because her knees had given way, there she found herself, gazing up at him with her mouth slightly agape and her heart pounding in her chest like it had never done so before. There was even the slightest of pink flushes to her cheeks which was very uncommon for her.

"Who is this," he began to make a circle around her, "rather outspoken young woman who seems to have no objection to disturbing meetings of the most important nature?" The man who once went by the name of Tom Riddle, showed no sign of his opinions on the headstrong teenager knelt before him. In truth he was impressed by her seemingly instinctual act of respect although the look in her eyes told him that she knew exactly who he was.

Mr. Lestrange had made movements to speak but Bella's voice seemed to return in time for her to answer for herself.

"I am Bellatrix Black of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, eldest daughter to Druella and Cygnus Black." The pride in her voice covered any sign of anxiety that she might have been feeling. With her head held high, she continued looking at the spot where her eyes had met his before he had circled her and now met them once again as he completed the circuit.

"Excuse her, my Lord, she is one of Rod's little friends from Hogwarts. What she thinks she is doing visiting at this hour of the night is beyond me, I can-"

"Hush now, Lestrange. She is an interesting specimen. Aesthetically pleasing and a pureblood – a good match for a fine pureblood man," Lord Voldemort interrupted, still summing up his final thoughts on the girl who was still on her knees before him.

Bella's heart skipped a beat at his words, presuming he had meant himself, not Rodolphus. As soon as this thought crossed her mind, she could've sworn she caught a flicker of an amused smirk cross his face but it disappeared so quickly that she wasn't sure she had really seen it. If she had, did that mean he knew what had gone through her mind?

"Indeed, my Lord. She has been promised to my eldest by her parents upon her graduation at Hogwarts." Mr. Lestrange said this as though neither Rodolphus nor Bellatrix were in the room. Both turned to stare at him as soon as the words had left his mouth. Meanwhile, the Dark Lord gave a low chuckle in amusement at the situation.

Bella's face was a picture of shock and horror. Her parents had yet to tell her that in seven months she would be married to the boy stood only a foot away from her. Rodolphus seemed surprised as well but this changed to amusement and triumph. Bellatrix was known to be a great beauty who looked a lot more mature than the majority of her classmates, she was also rumored to be wild and unruly. Rodolphus knew her well enough to know this to be true and he found the prospect of her becoming his wife greatly entertaining. For now at least.

So absorbed with his own thoughts was he, that he seemed to forget where he was. "I get Black? She's going to be my _wife_?" he attempted to hide a snort of laughter but failed. "Wait until I tell Rosier I'm marrying his whore of a cousin!" He was struggling to keep back a wave of laughter but fortunately for him, succeeded in restraining it. He would learn in time that it was no laughing matter.

Bellatrix had been slowly turning pinker and pinker as the blush spread across her cheeks, her lips pursed tight enough that they were turning blue. This last outburst from Rodolphus, however, sent her over the edge. As he had forgotten where he was, she too forgot. Leaping to her feat as though she had been electrocuted, she whipped around and grabbed her fiancée by the throat and pushed him against the nearest wall.

"Shut up, Lestrange," she growled as her nails dug into the delicate skin of his neck. All mirth had drained from his face now as it dawned on him that marriage to Bellatrix might not be as funny as he first thought.

Lord Voldemort and Mr. Lestrange looked on, the expression on their faces quite contrasting. There was Mr. Lestrange who looked torn between fury at Bellatrix for making his son look weak in front of the Dark Lord and irritation at his son's lack of respect and maturity in the first place. The Dark Lord on the other hand had a look of intrigue on his face as his eyes hovered over Bellatrix. She was a woman, a child no less and yet she might be of some use to him. He wasn't completely convinced though; her temper was violent and her respect given, it seemed, where she felt it necessary but whether her magical skills were anything more or less than average was a complete mystery to him and whether she had the guts to take the life of another human being was another matter altogether.

Bella tightened her grasp on Rod's neck just enough to make his breathing difficult. He had embarrassed her, insulted her in front of the man she had been so eager to meet for five years and she couldn't let him get away with it. Not to mention he had grievously wounded her pride. It was true that she had taken her fair share of partners – all pureblood or claiming to be at least – none of which she wanted in any other way but physically. There had even been a rumor that had circulated at the end of the previous year that she had seduced Slughorn so he would give her better grades but this had died almost as quickly as it had started although not quick enough to escape Bella's ears. It was unfounded of course and dreamt up on sheer surprise that she had scraped top marks despite her lax approach to education and her disruptive nature in classes. The truth was, Bella was intelligent, very intelligent but she refused to study or strive to achieve higher grades as she was convinced that it was pointless and not worth the time or effort. Who needed O grades in their NEWTs to become a Death Eater when the classes didn't even teach the Dark Arts?

"Miss Black, I think you can release Mr. Lestrange's son now. His father might have more use of his eldest son alive." Bella immediately released the eighteen year old and backed away from, glaring hatefully at him. She was impressing Lord Voldemort more and more – she had obeyed him without question and shown no regret or shame for her harsh treatment of the Lestrange boy. Despite this, he was still reluctant to even consider admitting her into his ranks. He had no women followers and felt no desire to seek any. He saw women to be weak, slaves to their emotions and unable to follow orders without deviating on emotional whims. People like that were of no use to him and he saw no reason to think Bellatrix would be any different.

* * *

Though I would increase the rating since I used the word 'whore'. I'm not prudeish or anything but there are kids out there and might as well at least attempt to keep them innocent for as long as possible.


	5. Prove Your Worth

I wasn't sure at first whether to cut to a short while in the future or whether to continue from where Chapter 4 left off. Eventually I decided on the latter lol

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Prove Your Worth**

It wasn't too long before Bellatrix recovered from her burst of rage and remembered where she was and who she was with. Before anyone could say anything, Bella turned her back on Rodolphus and flung herself at Lord Voldemort's feet, gazing up at him once again, only this time she spoke straight away.

"Your excellency," she wasn't entirely sure how to address him yet, "I wish to join your cause! I want to aid you in ridding our world of the mudblood scum and disgusting blood-traitors that threaten to overrun it! I long to-" Bella was halted from expressing her passion and desire to help him, as she noticed him gesturing for her to fall silent. She glanced briefly out of the corner of her eyes and saw Rodolphus' father who was wide-eyed in shock as though he thought what she was saying was utterly preposterous. Whatever face Rodolphus himself might have been pulling, she was oblivious and intended for it to stay that way.

"As much as I _admire_ and _value_ passion amongst my Death Eaters, I have no place for teenage girls, such as yourself. You would be a liability and of little use to me." His cold, frosty tone was still seducing Bella with his every syllable, even though he was turning her down. However, she did catch something else, a very subtle hint of something… But what?

A challenge? Did he want her to prove him wrong? Surely not. Surely one such as himself would not wish to be wrong? Bella loathed being proved wrong, she couldn't fathom why this would be his true meaning but she didn't question her instincts either. After all, she got the inkling that this was some sort of test. As if to confirm her being correct, there was a twitch of a smirk at the corner of his mouth – was he really capable of knowing her thoughts? She wouldn't be all that surprised if he could.

Bella rose to her feet again, her head held high so that her nose was stuck arrogantly into the air. If this wasn't a test of her determination then what she was about to do could possibly bring about her untimely death, fortunately for Bellatrix, this hadn't crossed her mind yet.

"I believe differently. I think I could become your greatest asset." Her voice was not shaky and nor were her nerves, she was past the stage of caring about any consequences – this was a desperate act out of desire and obsession. If she let the matter go, she would most likely never become a Death Eater and would have to spend the rest of her life carrying and caring for Rodolphus' brats. It would not do, not by any stretch of the imagination.

"I can best any seventh year at Hogwarts in a duel, I am a quick learner and I can offer a whole life of servitude to you as I have all of it ahead of me. Teach me now and I can only improve." It wasn't time to be modest, not that Bella ever was, and it seemed Lord Voldemort was looking at her as though he wanted her to continue, he didn't speak encouragement but the fact he hadn't stopped her or silenced her said otherwise. She was very conscious of the Lestrange's presence and how she could feel Rodolphus' eyes boring into the back of her head, she would rather have declared her worth to him in private but she knew that was out of the question for now.

"Let me prove myself! I beg you not to underestimate me," she pleaded in a hushed tone, her eyes reaching out to him desperately. The Dark Lord pondered once again whether he could reconsider his stance on female Death Eaters – she certainly showed qualities that would suit a useful servant but was she as capable as she claimed to be? Her arrogance made it very difficult to decide.

"Very well. Will a duel with Lestrange sate your thirst to prove yourself?" Bella's face lit up eagerly and she had opened her mouth to voice these feelings only to be cut off by him as he continued. "However," he paused to meet her gaze, "should you lose to Mr. Lestrange, you shall leave at once, never seek me out again and tell no one of the events that have taken place here. Should you win, I shall consider you more seriously." There was his decision. He didn't expect her to last ten seconds against one of his more experienced Death Eaters – he was resorting to the compromise of sorts as a way to decide whether he marked her as his own or not, without feeling he had turned down a potentially talented witch - if she lost then he would tell himself she was weak as he felt all women were, were she to win then she would be his exception, his experiment.

Bellatrix glanced at her fiancée's father – she would have to take him on, would she? She smirked softly. She figured he would go reasonably easy on her since, were he telling the truth about her betrothal to his son, she would be the one who produced his heir so he wouldn't be aiming to kill or injure too badly. He wouldn't want his son married to someone less than perfect, would he? Not to mention he would definitely have Cygnus Black to face and that would not be a pretty sight were Bella to return permanently maimed thanks to him, at least, that was what she was counting on. It would certainly be her most challenging duel yet but she had motivation to win that her opponent did not; he might want to die of shame if he lost to her but Bella was driven by her insatiable desire to serve Lord Voldemort and a passion most fierce. "I thank you most graciously for your generosity," Bella remarked with delight in the general direction of Lord Voldemort, she fully intended to shame Mr. Lestrange with a victory against him.

Rodolphus seemed to be desperate to get away from the room now as the events unfolded before his eyes but he knew he couldn't leave. It wasn't an option. Bella and Mr. Lestrange now stood several feet apart, wands in hands. He gave her a short, stiff bow; his face betraying no emotion. Bella returned his bow with an overly dramatic bow as though she were already mocking him for losing – her arrogance was not something she was ashamed of, quite the contrary.

With the formalities out of the way, the real battle could begin: a fight that would be more important than anyone present knew at that time, not even Bellatrix herself. The Dark Lord watched with a smirk of amusement on his face as the two duelers prepared to attack, however this smirk slowly faded when he realized that he _wanted_ to see his Death Eater lose to his spirited challenger. Why was this? She was just a girl and if Lestrange could not defeat an over-confident school girl then that would not reflect well on the Death Eaters in general. What good were an army who singularly could not defeat teenage wizards and witches who had only a small fraction of the experience and training that they had received? Still he wanted to see Miss Black succeed and he could not for the life of him, fathom why.

* * *

Next chapter will be focusing on the duel and then wrapping up this section. I wonder who will win? Seriously, I'm not sure yet lol


	6. Crucio

Probably the most difficult chapter so far – mainly because I didn't want to make the duel go on forever and bore you all to tears xD

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Crucio  
**

Her wand aimed as her pulse quickened, the duel was about to begin. Whether he went easy on her or not, she wouldn't show him the slightest hint of mercy. Not at all.

Bella had been about to cast her first spell but Lestrange had already sent a hex hurtling her way which she easily dodged but this meant he wasn't going to easy on her either.

_Damn it! I'll show him! I'll show him I'm no pushover! That'll wipe the smug look of his face._

As soon as she dodged his spell she retaliated with a jelly legs jinx – yes it might be a basic spell but she fully intended to make him think she was an easy opponent and then she would surprise him with more powerful spells. Perhaps an unforgiveable… She had never used one before but she knew the incantations and she knew the basics of using them. There had been a couple of instances where she had been itching to use the cruciatus curse but didn't knowing full well she would be expelled from Hogwarts and some Hufflepuff brat wasn't worth it. She'd make Longbottom suffer once she was out of Hogwarts and could apparate away before she was dragged to Ministry and then to Azkaban.

Her jinx missed. This barely phased her though as she had followed it up quickly with a stunning spell. Lestrange had also sent a jet of bright light her way which she avoided, although quite narrowly. Meanwhile the Dark Lord observed calmly, Rodolphus however appeared to be rather uncomfortable with the scene before him.

The exchange of jinxes and hexes continued for a while longer, dawn was approaching but no one seemed to notice or care. Bella was managing to hold her own so far but then again so was Lestrange; neither had sustained anything more than a bruise but there had been no use of serious curses yet.

"Lestrange, I do believe you're going easy on Miss Black. You know as well as I that you are capable of much more _potent_ spells than those that you have used so far and don't you think treating Miss Black like a weak child is rather more of an insult than an act of mercy?" The Dark Lord had chosen his words carefully; he intended to goad them into a full out battle instead of the tiresome exchange that was currently taking place.

It worked. Less than a minute after Lord Voldemort had spoken, Lestrange stepped up his game and Bella was hit with a much more harmful curse. Sprawled on the ground, she gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to display any signs of pain or discomfort. There was a burning sensation in her arms and legs and she couldn't move them, that is, she couldn't move them without a lot of effort. She could only just see the smirk on his face from where she lay pinned to the ground, there was also an amused, chuckle from Lord Voldemort. With a growl of frustration and anger, she managed to adjust the aim of her wand so it was fixed on her opponent and sent a full-body bind curse his way. It missed but it was just enough to break the concentration he had and the curse quickly broke, allowing Bella to jump to her feet once again.

Bellatrix was thoroughly pissed off. She felt humiliated and embarrassed and she was going to make him pay. "CRUCIO!" she screeched, a look of intense fury in her eyes. The curse found its target and she watched in delighted fascination as it manipulated a grunt of pain from Lestrange. It wasn't the most powerful of cruciatus curses but for a first attempt it was more than effective. It was as though something had snapped in Bellatrix as a hungry expression possessed her and the curse seemed to increase in intensity as Mr. Lestrange seemed to be finding himself in more pain as he began twitching slightly.

It was empowering. Her heart was racing, her face felt flushed and there was a grin of triumph on her face but whether it was from the success of her curse or the reaction in her victim was another matter. All she knew was that she wanted to see him suffer, she wanted to see him crumble under her spell and she was reveling in the power it gave her. The curse seemed only to be getting stronger as the writhing began. Subconsciously, a smirk blossomed on Bella's face and a low chuckle began at the back of her throat. She was a woman possessed.

Lord Voldemort was now smirking. She had proven herself – she was clearly capable of torture and seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. She had tasted blood and there was no going back.

"Quite the sadist, Miss Black."

His voice addressing her was enough to bring her out of the trance-like state she had been in before, allowing Mr. Lestrange to slowly recover and stand up again. Her divided attention had rendered her vulnerable and before she knew it she was thrown off her feet and was experiencing her own dose of the cruciatus curse. Bella gasped in surprise, she hadn't been expecting to be attacked further, she presumed the duel had ended but it hadn't. How far was this going to go? Any thoughts about the duel however, were replaced by agony.

Sprawled out on the floor, it took all her energy to purse her lips and keep silent. Her hands were balled into tight fists to the point where her perfectly manicured nails broke skin. She struggled against the curse, desperate not to show signs of weakness or give Lord Voldemort any reason to decide against making her a member of his Death Eaters. She was holding her breath without realizing as she tried not to squirm or shout from the pain. It was the most painful sensation she had ever felt; it was like she was being stabbed over and over again with hot blades and there was no escape. Finally she felt the sensation begin to ebb away and she wondered why? Had the duel been halted or ended? She hoped not – she had yet to destroy Mr. Lestrange's pride.

It hadn't faded away completely, but just enough to allow her to move without losing control and screaming in pain. She was vaguely aware that the corners of her eyes were damp though and desperately hoped that no one else had noticed. Her legs shook a little as she slowly stood up, only to see that Lestrange had been distracted by Rodolphus who was oblivious to the fact that she was now back on her feet and about to take advantage of the distraction he had unintentionally provided.

Her body might be aching and happy to give up but Bella's spirit certainly wasn't, even if playing dirty was how she won. A vicious movement of her wand and she sent a violent stunning spell racing towards her opponent. It was almost in slow motion that she saw it hit.

Mr. Lestrange had seen a flash of red light from the corner of his eye, he turned to face Bella and had been preparing to block the attack but had been a fraction to slow and was blasted off his feet. Bella quickly followed this by another full-body bind hex to make sure he wouldn't be retaliating any time soon.

Her breathing was labored but all she could do was stare at the man who was now unmoving on the floor. As it dawned on her that she had just defeated him, she couldn't help but smirk proudly.

"It seems you triumphed over my Death Eater, Miss Black and as promised, I will consider your request." Bella felt as though she were on top of the world – he couldn't turn her down now, could he? In truth she knew he could but she was determined to ignore that possibility. "You shall be contacted shortly with my decision, Bellatrix. And Rodolphus, tell your father when he resumes consciousness that there will consequences for his incompetence." With those last words, Lord Voldemort disapparated.

Bella had felt her heart skip a beat when he called her by her first name; he had remembered her name and that had to mean something…

* * *

Next chapter coming soon Reviews are all welcome with open arms ^.^


	7. A Rude Almost Awakening

Time to meet Narcissa I think… Quite a fun chapter to write I must say. Sorry it's not the most eventful!

* * *

**Chapter 7 – A Rude Almost-Awakening**

Bellatrix had been lucky. She wasn't so afraid of her parents – although her father could work himself into the most violent of rages – but she didn't want them to find out her motives for visiting the Lestrange residence at such an hour and returning just before seven. They would assume she had been sneaking out to sleep with Rodolphus and that was definitely not the case, especially if what she had learned from Mr. Lestrange about her betrothal to his son was true. She knew it was her duty to marry a wealthy pureblood and continue the family line but she wanted more. She wanted that mysteriously dark and dignified Lord Voldemort.

Bella blushed at the thought as soon as it crossed her mind.

After the duel and the leaving of Lord Voldemort, Bella had left a threat with Rodolphus that she would make him suffer if her parents found out and then managed to successfully apparate to her bedroom. She was very thankful her return had not been such a failure as her departure from the Black family manor. With furtive glances to the light attempting to shine through her curtains, she hastily removed the figure-hugging black dress she had clad herself in, her shoes and tights in exchange for a pretty nightdress with a little too much lace for her liking.

In her bed was where she found herself now. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins so forcefully was only just leaving her system and the warm embrace of sleep was gradually lulling her into its clutches. It was just as her lids were about to close that her door was thrown open and she sat bolt upright to glare at the intruder. Well, intruders.

Narcissa and Andromeda stood shoulder to shoulder in her doorway, identical indignant frowns on their faces and both still in their night clothes.

"What?" she demanded with much hostility, wishing they would leave and let her sleep. Bella wanted to catch at least an hour of sleep before breakfast, but it seemed her younger sisters were determined to ruin that for her much to her agitation.

"Dromeda says you went out last-" Narcissa had begun in a rather loud voice, there was something like childish teasing in it as though she were going to threaten to tell on her. However, she never finished her sentence as Andromeda swiftly clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Shhh! Cissy, we don't need the whole household hearing!" she hissed somewhat desperately, it seemed she remembered the threats made earlier on. Bella simply watched on in bleary-eyed incredulity – why was she staying awake for this when she could so easily sleep into a blissfully comatose state and ignore their existence? That's right, they wanted to make her life a living hell until she left home and got shot of them. That's what they had been put on the earth to do – make Bellatrix Black's life difficult and as painful as possible. Bella grunted and pulled the sheets over her head.

"Piss off!" she groaned in voice muffled by silk bedsheets. For a short while she thought they had actually obeyed her as she heard the sound of her door closing but she should've known better; since when did her sisters listen to her when she was defenseless and incapable of bullying them into doing so? Never. This all became quickly apparent when she felt her mattress suddenly shift and the sound of her sheets being invaded. Why hadn't she drawn the hangings around her four poster? Oh yeah, she hadn't slept in it yet.

Groaning again, she resigned herself to staying awake as she removed the sheet from her head and sat up to see her youngest sister perched happily beside her in bed and her other sister lounging on the chaise at the bottom of her bed, a haughty and disapproving look on her face.

"You went to see a boy, didn't you Bella?" Narcissa chirped, giggling as though it were the most delectable piece of gossip she had ever heard. Someone had clearly had a good night's sleep. How unfair – not that she would have traded her night for anything in the world but a nice long sleep was so tempting at that moment.

"No, Cissy, I did not go to see a boy!" Bella sighed exasperatedly and made no effort to correctly inform her of her late night (early morning) activities. A quick glance in Andromeda's direction made Bella smirk – she seemed to be having an inward battle with herself and Bella could hazard a pretty good guess at what. Andromeda must've felt her eldest sister's eyes on her because her own flicked across to meet them, her disapproving opinion very clear.

"Dromeda knows! Doesn't she? Tell me, Bella, please!" Narcissa's whines fell on deaf ears as the other two sisters held a silent battle of will between glares. "Tell me!" The frustration was evident in her little voice as she persisted. At twelve, almost thirteen years of age, Narcissa was still young and naïve – both of her older sisters took it upon themselves to protect her, almost competitively so and they both felt the need to hide the scrap of information they shared from her but for very different reasons. Bella was afraid her youngest sister would tell her parents or her classmates whereas Andromeda was more worried about her trying to follow in Bella's footsteps.

Narcissa's lip trembled as she looked again between her two sisters who hadn't stirred or blinked. "Fine! I don't want to know! Though I'll tell mother and father that you _both_ went out last night and see how you like it!" she had started to disentangle herself from the sheets in an attempt to make her exit but a hand quickly reached out and grabbed her around the forearm.

"Cissy, don't you _dare_ tell them. You hear me?" She finally broke eye contact with Andromeda to fix her stare on Narcissa who stared back with a look of confused hurt on her face. Why was her big sister taking it so seriously? What could she possibly have been up to that warranted such a harsh look? It only increased her already burning curiosity.

"But Bella, I-"

"NO!" Bella interjected with a furious hiss, her grip tightening around her sister's arm.

"OW! Bella you're hurting me!" Narcissa cried out as she attempted to break free of her grasp but to no avail. "BELLA STOP IT!" she yelled. Bella finally let go. The three girls were suddenly all silent and waited tensely until they finally heard the sound of footsteps pounding on floorboards, signaling the approach of their father – it was obvious from the heavy thuds that were the complete opposite of their mother's dainty and purposeful footsteps.

The door was thrown open for a second time since Bella's return and this time it was Cygnus Black who was staring in at the scene before him; a disheveled Bella sat up in bed next to an upset Narcissa and then Andromeda who seemed oddly disconnected from them both, as though she had despaired of them and was no longer in the room, mentally at least.

"What is going on? Would one of you like to inform me? Bellatrix? Andromeda?" Neither made any attempt to answer, not that he gave them much room to. "Narcissa?" The youngest seem to tremble under her father's gaze and for a split second; Bella panicked and thought she was going to be exposed. She put an arm roughly around her little sister and pulled her closer as though she was trying to hug her.

"Cissy and Dromeda just came in to wake me up, Father, and Cissy was taking my teasing too far. That is all."

"Sorry to wake you, Father." This addition came from Andromeda in a rather quiet voice that seemed to be hiding other emotions that Cygnus failed to pick up on.

"Yes, Father. We're awfully sorry to wake you," Narcissa chimed in, wriggling a little at Bella's hold on her which was becoming very uncomfortable.

Cygnus seemed to be deliberating whether to believe them or not, his eyes wandering between the three girls until he finally sighed and turned to leave. As soon as his footsteps were far enough away, there was a very audible sigh of relief from Narcissa as Bella finally released her.

"Thought you'd never let go, Bells!" she commented irritably.

"Don't call me that, Cissy," Bella replied grumpily, lying down again and covering her head with the sheets in a last attempt to get some sleep.

"Come on Dromeda, let's leave _Bells_ to get her beauty sleep. After all she needs it more than we do!" After a growling noise from the Bella-shaped lump in the sheets, Narcissa quickly got out of bed and walked towards the door, Andromeda joined her and in a matter of seconds they were gone and there was a sigh of relief from Bella.

Just as she about to settle down and catch some shut eye, there was a pecking noise at the window and Bella almost lost her temper altogether. However, she managed to remain calm as she opened the curtains and the window to collect a letter from a very impatient owl which left the second it was relieved of its burden. Curious as to who it could be from, she closed the window and curtains before quickly ripping open the envelope and sitting down at the bureau in her room to read it – she might as well accept that she wouldn't be having any sleep now.

* * *

Would love any reviews you would care to leave. Hope you're enjoying it so far!


	8. Tainted Excitement

Sorry for the wait – one of my dog's had to be put down and he had such a big personality that his leaving has left the house feeling very empty and I kinda lost the will to write since then. Hopefully the quality of this chapter won't have suffered as a result.

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Tainted Excitement**

Bellatrix savagely extracted the letter from its envelope, her eyes were instantly drawn to the bottom of the parchment and was quite shocked to see who it was from.

"Abraxas Malfoy?" she accidently exclaimed out loud. Whoever she had been expecting a letter from it wasn't him. Why was Lucius Malfoy's father writing to _her_? A puzzled crease formed on her brow as she unfolded the parchment to continue reading.

_Miss Black,_

_It is on the Dark Lord's instructions that I send you this letter. You are to visit Malfoy Manor this coming Friday. Dress as you see fit and don't be late. _

_10 am, Friday, Malfoy Manor. Be there on time or earlier; the Dark Lord does not appreciate people wasting his time no matter who they are._

_Mr. A. Malfoy._

Bella was astounded. She had only been back home for a short while yet had already received news, it had been so quick! Did Lord Voldemort ever sleep? If he didn't, he certainly looked good for it. She was ecstatic to find out that he was seemed to be taking her seriously although her rapture and delight was tainted by a slight tug of disappointment. He had obviously had the time to relay a quick message to Mr. Malfoy, yet he could not have written it himself? A letter from Lord Voldemort would have been a treasure indeed and would complete her happiness but upon reconsidering the idea, she supposed she wasn't worthy of being personally contacted by him yet. She intended for that to change, and soon.

After rereading the letter another time, she hesitated over the title Abraxas Malfoy had given to him: _'The Dark Lord'_. It sounded so dark and mysterious it almost sent shivers down her spine. Thinking back on it, she never once remembered hearing either Lestrange address him as 'Lord Voldemort'. She thought it strange and decided she would not call him by the name unless given express permission or someone else did it first – but what if the title of 'Dark Lord' were a special term only his inner circle used? She didn't want to appear assuming of his generosity – he might not want her as a Death Eater after all and if that was the case, she might only convince him of that choice.

The thoughts ran through her head accusingly until she silenced them with a resigned solution – she would avoid addressing him as anything until he instructed her to. Bella had no desire to displease him in any shape or form, quite the contrary.

Now with her mind made up and her initial disappointment of receiving word through a second hand source put at ease, she was ready to embrace the reality that she had in fact, achieved something that night. Or early that morning to be more accurate.

Tucking the letter away in a drawer of her bureau and then locking it with a swift flick of her wand, she decided she would have a bath to wake herself up as sleeping in was not an option.

* * *

Sorry it's a short chapter! Next chapter will be more exciting, promise!


	9. Pride and Condescension

Got work on this quite quickly since ideas were running through my head fast and furious.

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Pride and Condescension  
**

Friday couldn't come soon enough. Bella had been even more uptight and full of nervous energy than she usually was and this certainly did not go unnoticed by the other members of the family. Andromeda had her suspicions and between the two sisters, they knew the other knew exactly what was going on and there seemed to be a constant battle of the wills every time they locked eyes. Narcissa became most upset with the heated and intense stares the two sisters would exchange over dinner, across rooms and in passing down corridors; she was pestering both of them at every opportunity to reveal what it was that they were concealing from her and was proving to be most persistent, much to their irritation.

Relations between Andromeda and Bellatrix had never been so icy; sure they had more than their fair share of scuffles, arguments and fights but nothing this serious had come between them. As alike as they were in appearance, they were beginning to repel each other like magnets – they were starting to push each other to extremes but the opposite extremes. Bella was becoming extreme in her pureblood morals and opinions while Andromeda was turning against those same views and rebuking all that she had been brought up to know. Narcissa was the only one who remained steady and level headed, let the two eldest choose their paths, she was still very much steered by her parents but not to the extent Bella had nor had she questioned them to the point that Andromeda had either.

Bella sat bolt upright in bed, her hair a crazy tangle of matted curls and rogue ringlets. She had an hour to be ready and at Malfoy Manor and she would definitely not be late, even if it meant her hair was a mess or she went without eating. Her excuse for the day was that she was going to Diagon Alley with a friend when in all actuality, that was far from the truth. Bella was going to meet Lord Voldemort for a second time and this time she wanted to seal his opinion of her as a positive one.

She dressed hastily, yet not untidily so, then sorted out the mane of hair that looked like the less serpentine version of Medusa's locks and finally dealt with her make up. With fifteen minutes to spare, she had been about to venture downstairs and take something from the kitchen but was stopped by someone with a deep-set scowl.

"Dromeda… What do you want?" she demanded sharply, a murderous look on her own face that was more than enough to rival her sister's.

"I know what you're doing Bella and I don't like it, not one bit!"

"And you think I care what you think because…?"

"I don't care whether you care, I'm going to try and put a stop to this. Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into, Bella?" she asked incredulously, not wanting to believe her sister knew exactly what Lord Voldemort intended to do to those deemed unworthy of the wizarding world.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Not that it's any of your business of course. Now if you don't mind, I have breakfast to get and people to see. And if you dare mention this to anyone, I will be telling mother and father how you're letting some mudblood filth kiss you. Urgh… Disgusting." With that, Bella skipped off haughtily in the direction of the kitchen leaving behind a fuming Andromeda.

It was ten minutes before ten o'clock and there Bellatrix stood, gracing the porch of Malfoy Manor, just about to knock. She had just reached up to knock when the door was removed from beneath her fist and a house elf peered up at her fearfully.

"Dilly! Show Miss Black to the drawing room at once!" The voice was sudden, sharp and slightly nasally as it that yelled out and it seemed to make the elf flinch as though it had been struck by a whip.

"Yes, master! At once, master!" Dilly replied dutifully, gesturing for Bella to cross the threshold. "This way, Miss."

Bella refused to talk to the elf, contenting herself with a sneer of dislike as it showed her the way to the drawing room. On her way, she glimpsed a flash of platinum blonde hair from around a corner – what she didn't realize was that it was Lucius Malfoy who had heard the name 'Miss Black' and hoped for Narcissa and upon seeing Bella, he quickly made to vanish. Lucius was the same age as Narcissa and Bella had noticed his attentions to her youngest sister and they greatly irritated her. Now, however, was not the time to be thinking of her sister and Lucius.

She walked into the room and appraised the décor, the furniture and the portraits quickly, summing up that it was to her liking. Her eyes fell upon the owner of platinum-blonde-in-the-process-of-graying hair and the owner's rather stern facial expression.

"Miss Black, it is a pleasure to see you." It was very obvious from his tone that he was making no attempt to even disguise his contrary feelings. He was not pleased to see her – he could see no reason for the Dark Lord to require her or want her as a Death Eater.

"The feeling is quite mutual, Mr. Malfoy," Bella replied coolly, intending her words as a response to his manner rather than his barely civil words. Whether he decided to take it that way was completely up to him. Bella resumed her walk until she was stood a couple feet away from Abraxas Malfoy who had by now sat down on one of the handsome leather couches that adorned the room. She wondered why he hadn't chosen to sit in the large, matching armchair next to the couch – her father always sat in the armchairs they had in their drawing rooms at home.

"Do sit," he barked. It wasn't a suggestion, it was more of an order and Bella grudgingly obliged. She didn't mind sitting but hated being ordered to do so like a dog. Her feelings on the matter were quite clear from the slight pursing of her lips as she sat herself down. He lounged lazily in his seat and gave her a discerning look, "I'm surprised a member of the _great _Black family is humble enough to be anyone's servant, especially Bellatrix Black who I've heard great tales about her renowned… _pride_."

Bella's hands twitched into slight fists at his words, she longed to retort with something sharp and witty that would shut him up. "At least any pride I have is warranted, unlike that of _some._" She made sure to stress the final word and shoot him a cold look. He seemed to take little to no notice much to her irritation.

"I wonder, did mummy and daddy approve of little Bella's decision?" he drawled, a sneer painted proudly across his face. Bella's face twitched at the mention of her parents, not to mention she found the condescension infuriating.

"Whether they approve or not is irrelevant," she snapped quickly. She was very quickly tiring of his company and wished Lord Voldemort would arrive and end the conversation with his mere presence. It was as though someone had been using her thought pattern as a cue because barely a second or so after she thought it, the doors were opened and Lord Voldemort strode in. Bella scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could after a moment of hesitation – she was used to being on the receiving end of the gesture and doing it herself was something she was not accustomed to.

"My Lord!" Abraxas Malfoy's voice broke the silence that had accompanied Voldemort's arrival as he knelt down out of respect. Bella glimpsed this from the corner of her eye and hastily mimicked the movement, bowing her head as an addition.

"Ahh, Miss Black," Lord Voldemort's cold and dignified voice punctured the still air and managed to come across as music to her ears. She sensed an uneasy shift in position from Malfoy, and found it quite challenging to resist the urge to smirk because she had been acknowledged first. She also felt the slightest inkling of warmth in her cheeks.

* * *

This chapter turned out much longer than I'd first intended (I made a little plan for the first time ever and I had chapter 10 all planned as well) but since I wasn't even half done with the original plan for chapter 9, I thought I would make it into another chapter. It will be up soon! Reviews are all welcome!


	10. Evaluate The Goods

It seems I'm suddenly sprawling with ideas for where to take this I've already planned up to chapter 14 xD I'm never this organized!

* * *

**Chapter 10 – Evaluate The Goods**

Lord Voldemort made a short gesture for both Bellatrix and Abraxas to stand up and then beckoned Bella forward. She gladly stepped forward, her head held high and nervous excitement bubbling away in her stomach. He seemed to be looking her up and down, drawing conclusions and opinions about the young female who stood before him.

She was well built; fine boned but not too delicate and he got the impression that she could run fast were she in a situation where it was necessary to do so. He took a step closer to her, an expressionless mask on his face as he reached for her jaw and moved it to examine her profile from the left and right angles. Bella hadn't expected to be physically inspected in such a way, like one did a horse they were thinking of buying but she didn't mind either. His long fingered, cold hands were welcome to examine her as long as they pleased. As soon as this though entered her mind, there was a slight flush to her cheeks which did not go unnoticed.

Abraxas Malfoy, from where he was standing, had been watching with mounting interest and curiosity which at the sight of Bella's pink tinted cheeks provoked an amused smirk from him. Lord Voldemort on the other hand, simply raised one of his dark eyebrows at her and gave her a knowing look. She knew instantly that he had known her thoughts, she wasn't sure how she knew but her instinct was adamant that was the case.

Seemingly finished with examining her facial features, he told her to extend her arms which she obeyed immediately without question.

"Your right arm I believe is your wand arm, correct?" he asked coolly, not looking up from where he stared at the slim, pale outstretched arms.

"Yes…" she felt the need to add some term of respect, but wasn't sure what would be suitable. "Yes, sir." The second she uttered the last word, she knew she sounded rather ridiculous and she could tell when she caught a fleeting hint of amusement leaving Lord Voldemort's face.

"From now on, you shall address me as 'my Lord'. Do you understand, _Bella_?" His voice had a mocking edge to it that went largely unnoticed by Bella herself, Mr. Malfoy seemed to find somewhat entertaining, however. Bella failed to notice his tone, mainly because she was distracted by his use of the pet name that was only ever used by her family and close friends, which were far and few between. It sounded so strange to hear him use it but that didn't mean she didn't like, on the contrary…

"Yes, of course, my Lord," she replied quickly, bowing her head forward ever so slightly to show that she was very willing to comply and would obey. Being a Black and raised in wealth and attitudes similar to that of royalty, she was not used to showing respect or any signs of subservience, however this also meant that she had had plenty of experience in observing such actions.

Her arms were still outstretched but now her left wrist was loosely grasped in his hand, subconsciously, she let her right arm fall to her side at which Lord Voldemort spoke again.

"Produce your wand, Miss Black." So it was back to 'Miss Black', was it? There was a small internal sigh of disappointment at this before she withdrew her wand from its safe place and brandished it with her right hand, her left still being occupied. "What is it?" he asked, taking it from her to examine it.

"Twelve and three quarter inches-"

"Walnut, Dragon Heartstring," he cut in as he wielded her wand. "It is a good wand, Miss Black. Yes, a very good wand, a powerful wand. I see you treat it well." Bella smirked proudly, feeling her pulse increase for no apparent reason. He returned her wand to her and she pocketed it shortly after.

"Now," he stepped away from her, letting her left wrist go as he did, "would I be right in assuming you are still a student at Hogwarts? And a Slytherin no doubt with your family's track record…"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Tell me, what could a Hogwarts student possibly be of any use to me for? I have no desire for petty school gossip or knowledge of how the teaching staff are substandard or misguided. What can you possibly offer me?" His words greatly unsettled Bella; what if she could provide him with no reason that he would approve of? What if he thought her to be simply a waste of his time and deemed her not be worthy of his inner circle?

"My Lord, I am a student at Hogwarts only for another six months or so, as soon as I am free of the place I can be just as useful as Malfoy or Lestrange! I have my whole life ahead of me which I can give to you, all my power and energy, my eternal servitude and respect. I can fight for you, I can offer my whole being to you and more!" By the time she had finished her pleading and reasoning, she saw from the expression on Voldemort's face that she had taken his question far too seriously though her passionate outpouring seemed to have amused and ever so slightly impressed.

"Your whole being, you say?" he raised an eyebrow, still looking at her and chuckled darkly. Bella blushed when she picked up on the true meaning of her words and judging by Voldemort's reaction, had done so too. She was quite mortified. He chuckle died almost as quickly as it had begun and continued in a more serious and cold tone.

"However, Miss Black, it seems I cannot refuse you any longer, that is, until you have proven yourself one more time. I don't want or have need of a worthless woman who is a slave to her emotions and unable to harm a fly for fear of hurting it. I need fighters, ruthlessness, _killers_. I cannot afford to have a servant who flinches at the sight of a corpse or is hesitant before killing worthless scum.

"If you cannot succeed in the simple task of murdering a muggle, then I refuse to mark you." Bella was very prepared to carry out such a task if it meant earning a mark. A quick glance to Abraxas Malfoy caught her curiosity. He wore a puzzled expression on his face, as though he was perplexed about something. If that was the, he didn't voice it. He scrutinized the calm exterior Bella had retained at his proposition and decided he wanted to make it that little bit harder. "Not just any muggle, a mother." Bella's face remained resolute and determined which irritated the Dark Lord for some reason, why did she not look horrified as he had expected? Women. They were far too complex to even attempt to fathom.

"How do I prove to you I have succeeded in my task?" she asked eagerly, not wanting to return empty handed and disappoint him.

"Is there a reason why I might not be able to trust your word, _Bella_?" he retorted, a sly smirk forming on his face. Yes, he wanted evidence but let her think she had made a mistake in asking, her awkward, embarrassment was almost addictive.

"Of course not! You can certainly trust me, my Lord!" she exclaimed quickly, horrified that she had possibly planted doubt in his mind about her succeeding the task.

"Very well, though I do ask that you bring back some personal effect as proof or perhaps as a souvenir, it is your choice." It would be very interesting to see what item of belonging she would choose to bring back; he had a strong suspicion he knew what it would be...

* * *

Sorry for the wait! School work got a little crazy last week haha. Reviews appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it! And thank you to everyone who has so far spent the time to review and favorite - it's really encouraging lol :)


	11. That's Family

Sorry it took so long to update! School work demanded my presence, not to mention it was my birthday on the 20th and I've been busy with all kinds of crazy things like auditions, exams and revision and goodness knows what else haha. I'll try not to leave it this long again!

* * *

**Chapter 11 – That's Family**

Upon arriving home, Bellatrix was faced with quite the inquisition.

Bella had apparated just outside the gates to the Black family mansion and upon her passing through the gates and striding up the path, two pale faces vanished from and upstairs window and reappeared in front of her moments later. Andromeda's face was the epitome of disapproval and restrained anger whereas Narcissa looked rather confused and a little hurt. Bella on the other hand was smirking proudly for the entire world to see.

"Something wrong, Dromeda?" she asked, the sarcasm in her voice as clear as a bell. Narcissa was looking between the two, seemingly becoming increasingly frustrated by her lack of knowledge.

"You'd know better than I, dear Bella," she replied coolly. So that was how she was going to make things? Bella had been about to snap back when a third voice chipped in.

"If you two don't mind, I'd like you to tell me what on earth is going on between you!" Narcissa interjected, a childish pout on her little face. "You don't tell me anything and I'm sick of it. If you don't tell me what you've been doing then I'll-"

"BELLATRIX!"

A loud shout interrupted Narcissa's frustrated outburst. The voice belonged to their mother who was currently marching out down the path towards the girls.

"Now look what you've done, you idiots! Now Mother is getting involved!" Bella snarled, her irritation only growing.

"Bella, do you honestly think she didn't notice you were gone? You don't exactly keep to yourself and when you vanish without telling anyone where you're going, our parents seem to catch on pretty quickly." Andromeda rolled her eyes and hoped to Merlin that Bella was not about to reveal her secret. Bella, however, was saving that for blackmailing later although she did glare furiously at her sister for her sarcastic, yet truthful observance.

Druella now stood behind Andromeda and Narcissa, her hands on her hips and looking down her nose at her eldest.

"Bella, where have you been? Did it not occur to you to inform someone of your whereabouts before you left? You might be able to apparate now, young lady, but you should not be abusing it!"

Bella simply glowered, a little embarrassed at being scolded in front of her younger sisters and more than slightly irritated that her mother was treating her like a child.

Bella opened her mouth to protest at what she deemed to be a gross unfairness but was cut off by her mother as she spoke once again.

"Go inside and pack your trunks; we're going to Grimmauld Place to visit your aunt and uncle for a few days. I want you all ready to go by four at the latest and we will _all _going by portkey – yes, you too Bella, you obviously can't be trusted to apparate. You would probably decide to take a detour to Knockturn Alley and arrive three hours late and I won't stand for it and neither will your father."

Bella's scowl only deepened at her mother's remarks.

"Oh do stop frowning, Bellatrix! It makes you look terribly ugly," Druella reprimanded, only succeeding in furthering Bella's resentment. Andromeda and Narcissa were right on cue with their sniggers at this which was one step too far for Bella's patience.

"Shut up! That pair of you!" she rounded on them before storming off towards the house, her long, straggly dark hair flying madly behind her.

_Two hours later._

A sulking Bella, a cheerful Andromeda and a Narcissa who seemed to be bored out of her mind, stood ready with their trunks in the entrance hall to the Black family home. It hadn't yet occurred to Bella that this was what she needed, the perfect excuse to find herself the victim she needed to earn the Dark Mark. Grimmauld Place was very near to muggle London and in that warren of muggle filth, she would easily find an unsuspecting victim and then he would be impressed by her, he had to be.

Cygnus Black waved his wand over an old top hat that usually rested on a large, decadent hat and coat rack in the Hall near the door. He didn't have to give orders as the family already knew what to do; with a stiff nod from him, they all reached out to grab a section of the brim and were suddenly hit by the odd sensation that accompanied Portkey travel.

A matter of seconds later and the Black family appeared down a dark alley way, none of them appeared to be very pleased about being in such a dingy and dirty place – though Bella looked the least phased out of all of them. None of them spoke as Cygnus Black proceeded to lead the way around the corner to where they all knew number twelve could be found. Bella lagged along behind, still scowling irritably about the events of earlier and as well as the fact that she was not in the mood to see her cousins.

As they all assembled outside the door to Twelve, Grimmauld Place, Bella took a moment to look around at the street around her. There were some odd metal boxes with strange wheels sitting on the road outside several of the houses. _Filthy muggle inventions! How my aunt and uncle can stand being surrounded by such disgusting creatures is a mystery to me._ Then it struck her, just as the door was opened by an ugly house elf who was bowing down to Cygnus Black – she was surrounded by muggles! Muggles! The Dark Lord wanted her to prove herself capable of murder and there she was, surrounded by possible victims! It was perfect! Of course, her parents might not be pleased if she were to wander off in the muggle area but they didn't have to know…

* * *

Once again, I apologize for the late-ness of this chapter. It will not happen again! Well, not if I can help it anyway. So give me your thoughts and views about this chapter, any suggestions and such because I'd be delighted to hear!


	12. Stalked

The last chapter was kind of crappy, I apologize, but I've got my mojo back or whatever you want to call it so hopefully will be back on form! I hope to update sooner next time, school's kinda hectic right now with exams and all. No fun.

* * *

**Chapter 12 – Stalked**

Bellatrix had spent the best part of the next hour or so, disconnected from the formalities of meeting and greeting her aunt, uncle and cousins. She found it far too tedious a concern to distract her from the exhilarating prospect of passing this 'test' and being initiated into the ranks of Lord Voldemort.

"Bellatrix!" barked Walberga, her hands resting firmly on her hips and a disapproving scowl on her face. As much as Bella looked up to and respected her aunt, she was finding it increasingly difficult to do so as she grew older. She was starting to realize how striving for approval from her was near impossible when she had two sons of her own whom she quite often took to boasting that they were destined to be the saving of the Black family's male line and how they would reinforce the family's significance and power.

"Yes, Aunt?" she replied, an icky sweet voice covering up the surprise she had felt at being drawn from her own mind so suddenly.

"Bellatrix, take your sisters and spend some time with Sirius and Regulus elsewhere." Walberga ushered her nieces out of the room hurriedly, seemingly intent on having a private conversation with Druella and Cygnus. As Bella left the room behind her sisters, she could've sworn she caught a light frown on her mother's face at her daughters being directed by their aunt rather than herself. This Bella found to be worthy of an amused smirk – she enjoyed observing the rivalry her mother and aunt had between them.

Narcissa liked Sirius and Regulus, as did Andromeda but Bellatrix found them to be highly irritating. Sirius was nine years old and already beginning to show signs of being a little rebellious. While Bella saw nothing wrong with rebellion, she did see something wrong with rebellion against the ways of pureblooded society and Black family ethics and his constant questioning of why mudbloods were different from purebloods drove her to distraction. Regulus on the other hand was seven – nearly eight as he would adamantly remind anyone who asked - and starting to lose his 'cuteness'. Bella preferred him to Sirius but he was still far too young to be anything other than an irritant to her.

"You two go run along and look after Sirius and Regulus. Go play hide and go seek or something," she drawled, waving a hand dismissively.

"But Bell-" Narcissa interjected with a whine.

"Cissy, I have things I have to do and you are perfectly capable of looking after a couple of toddlers and it's not like you haven't got Andromeda… Not that that is much consolation," the latter was added rather frostily and accompanied by a glare just as cold as her tone. Before anyone could say another word, Bella turned on her heel, marched down the corridor to the front door and left number Twelve.

"Cissy, I hate to leave you on your own… Sirius is a well behaved enough and Regulus will do whatever you tell him as we know very well thanks to Bella…"

"Andy! Don't you go and leave me too!" Narcissa interrupted with a horrified expression on her face. "First Bella runs off, and now you! What _are_ you two getting up to? Why can't I join in? Are you both going to meet boys? You aren't going off to meet with that mudblood-"

"Don't call him that!" Andromeda cut in, suddenly quite fierce and resembling Bellatrix even more than she usually did but without that edge of unpredictability that accompanied such a tone when the eldest Black sister used it. Narcissa gave Andromeda a reproachful scowl before turning and ascending the stairs to find her cousins. Andromeda, followed the same path as Bella had only moments earlier and left the house.

Bella had paused outside the front door to pull her cloak up tightly around her so that it was extremely difficult to see or recognize her, before she surveyed the muggle street and ducked around down the nearest alley. There was the lightest dusting of snow on the frozen cobbles and Bella was thankful that she had stubbornly decided to wear heels – albeit it small ones - around Hogwarts during the Winter months; her step was sure and as steady as possible considering the ice. The sound of her heels making contact with the stone did not go unnoticed by Bella, at which she used a charm to silence the sound of her feet. As she did this, she could've sworn she heard movement. Bella whipped around, her wand held out in front of her offensively as her eyes scanned every inch of the alley before her. Nothing seemed to be out of place…

Continuing down the alley, she picked up her pace a little; she doubted anyone was really following her but she was not about to wait and find out. After five minutes or so of walking, she came to a halt at a point in which she could choose one of two directions… Which way to go… As if by some random act of magic – no pun intended of course – the sound of footsteps greeted Bella's ears. Flattening herself to the nearest wall, she peered around the edge and down the narrow path where she was quite certain the noise was coming from. Much to her delight, there was a figure approaching, the sight of which brought a devious smirk to her face.

Bella waited until the figure had drawn closer and was about to pass where she stood before she quickly cast a disillusionment charm in order to remain unnoticed. As the figure walked past her hiding place, she took in her appearance – for it was apparently a woman whom she had set her sights upon. The muggle woman was clad in a large overcoat, her mousy brown hair looked thin and limp under the hat she wore and there were dark circles under eye and what appeared to be a wedding ring on her finger. She only saw it because the muggle was examining it quite solemnly as she walked past.

This was it. This was her chance and what a good one it was! Not only would she be ridding the world of one more filthy muggle and proving herself to Lord Voldemort, she would be taking the life of someone whose disappearance would not go unnoticed, people might mourn the woman and for some twisted reason, Bella found this prospect highly amusing. As soon as the muggle had entered the darker portion of the alleyway where Bella could conceal herself without magic, she lifted the disillusionment charm and began to follow her. Little did she know, the muggle wasn't the only one being followed at that moment.

* * *

Hope you enjoy this chapter, the next will be uploaded ASAP. Don't hesitate to review and give your opinions or suggestions!


	13. Twisted

So here it is: the beginning of the end. Only kidding, I've just always wanted to say that. You figure out what I meant by it but I'll tell you, I didn't mean the beginning of the end of the story.

* * *

**Chapter 13 – Twisted  
**

Bella was so close now, moments away from revealing her presence to the muggle and killing her. She knew of the unforgiveable curses, she knew the incantations but she had never yet cast one before. The killing curse would rid the woman of life almost instantaneously, yet here was a perfect chance to see what the other two were like. Of course she knew exactly what they did but it was a perfect opportunity to test out two _illegal_ spells and if not for intending to use them, she wanted to try it out for the hell of it. After all, the muggle would die anyway and no one would suspect her unless she told them so the threat of Azkaban wasn't likely, at least in her opinion.

Suddenly, the sound of loose rubble being disturbed somewhere along the cobbled alleyway could be heard. Bella tensed and her soon-to-be victim turned around and looked quite alarmed. For a split second, Bella was thinking along the same lines as her victim; who had caused that noise, was someone following her, what should she do? Unfortunately for the muggle, Bella recovered somewhat quicker and took hold of the situation; she had pressed herself up against the wall. It was fortunate that in the time it had taken for her to find and follow the woman, the sun had set as it did so quickly in the winter months. Darkness was Bella's friend but this woman found no such ally in the time of day.

After a few moments of uncertainty from the muggle and hesitation from Bella who wanted to see if anything came of the noise, she decided she had waited quite long enough and thus made her move. The woman had turned her back after looking over her shoulder at precisely the wrong moment. Bella emerged from the shadows, wand drawn and face resolute.

She held her wand out, pointing it directly at the woman, who had caught the movement out of the corner of her eye. Alarmed, the muggle whirled around and stared at the wand that was being pointed at her.

"Who are you?" she blurted out, wanting desperately to ask why there was a stick being pointed at her. Bella scowled slightly, her wand not wavering from its aim which was now the woman's chest as she now faced the teenage witch, not wanting to turn her back on the threat that was Bella.

"It doesn't matter who I am," she murmured in a low tone, her heart rate picking up as she became aware of what she was doing. She wasn't getting cold feet per say, she was just wasn't entirely sure what the procedure was. She wanted to test out those spells but what if there was someone following and they saw? Perhaps she should just kill the muggle where she stood… But that was so quick… so… _easy._ Bella didn't want easy, she wanted a challenge and wasn't that the whole point of an initiation test? She stared hard at the muggle, her eyes narrowed in loathing. She was strangely satisfied with what she saw in the eyes of the muggle; fear. It was fear and confusion and it was empowering.

It was suddenly becoming clear to Bella that she was very much in the position to do whatever she wanted and to hell with the consequences. If someone was watching then she would simply turn her wand on them too and know one would be the wiser. The rush of power made her feel completely invincible – if anyone did see, she would deal with them. No one would ruin this for her.

The power was very much intoxicating and the sense of invincibility was overwhelming. She could let the woman go if she wanted, she could kill her in an instant or she could even test some of the darker magic she had never had the opportunity to try out before. The woman's future was very much in her hands.

Without realizing it, a wicked smirk had spread across her face as she stared down her nose at the muggle. She had made her mind up.

"Are you afraid?" she suddenly asked, a strangely conversational tone coloring her voice. The muggle woman opened her mouth slightly to answer and then closed it again, decidedly avoiding answering Bella's question.

"What do you want? If you're after money, then I can give you-"

"I don't want your filthy muggle money!" Bella interjected sharply, moving her wand ever so slightly so it was pointed directly at her heart. The word was on the tip of her tongue, she was mere milliseconds from watching the effects of her very attempt at torture and her second attempt at the cruciatus curse, only this time she was motivated by curiosity and a hint of sadism.

"Crucio!"

The muggle's eyes widened in shock as the jet of red light burst from the tip of Bella's wand and collided with her. With a scream, she was knocked clean off her feet, meanwhile Bella watched on in fascination. The woman squirmed and writhed and screamed but Bellatrix was utterly intoxicated by power. It was liberating. She could make the muggle suffer for as long as she pleased, it all depended on her. While most might've been appalled at causing such pain upon an innocent person, Bella felt no such thing. She was reveling in every scream, every sob, every whimper.

The broad smirk that had been present on her face for the past minute or so vanished as the desperate screams and writhing ceased and the muggle was left panting and whimpering in the aftermath of the curse. She wanted to see her suffer more, she wanted to see what would happen if she continued torturing and torturing.

"CRUCIO!"

The muggle let out another shriek of pain and began writhing again, Bella's smirk reviving on her face. Either the muggle was getting weaker or her curse was getting stronger, but the muggle woman was thrashing even more violently than before and the sounds of begging through her screaming just audible. It only fuelled the sadistic fire now burning brightly within her.

"BELLA!" Another shriek joined the muggle's voice, though this was not a shriek of agony but a shriek of horror and disgust.

* * *

Enjoy! And sorry about the cliffhanger, I love them. Well, I love them when I know what's going to happen and no one else does! MWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA! *ahem* Anyway, drop a review or suggestion or something. I love hearing from you guys! =)


	14. You Make Me Sick

It seems I've gotten back into good habits and I'm churning out chapters again! Yay!

* * *

**Chapter 14 – You Make Me Sick **

Bellatrix whipped around instantly to look in the direction of the voice, moving as quickly as though she had been sharply stung by an insect. The curse she had been inflicting upon the muggle woman, wore off as her attention was stolen by the figure who now gaped at her in complete abhorrence.

"Andromeda?" she asked, the color slowly draining from her already pale face. Had she not been caught off-guard, she would have been furious, though it was only a matter of time before the surprise wore off.

"I thought you were capable of a lot of things Bella… I've seen you taunt first years – don't think I didn't see – but not… Not this… This is _disgusting_! That woman has done absolutely nothing to you! _Nothing!_ And even if she had, you don't even have the decency to let her go now you've made your point. Not even to end her suffering and kill her – not that I would condone killing but what you're doing… It's torture, Bella. TORTURE." Andromeda looked at her sister in utter disbelief, though that was probably lost due to the fact that Bella had yet to light her wand and there was no other source of light other than the moon.

"You know nothing," she growled, her anger beginning to rise as the shock dissipated.

"YOU COULD GO TO AZKABAN, BELLA!" the middle sister suddenly shouted at her.

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know the law but you know what? I'm not going to get caught!"

"It looks like you've already failed there, doesn't it?" There was a hint of smug superiority in Andromeda's voice. It wasn't common for her to sound quite so… Well, so much like a Black but sometimes she couldn't help it.

Her words, however, had a profound effect upon the eldest Black sister. With a snarl of anger she strode angrily over to her sister, grabbed her around the neck and threw her into the nearest wall, raising her wand to it prodded Andromeda's forehead and then wordlessly lit it so the bright wand light shone in both their eyes.

"I am so _close_ to getting this… If you say a single word - even one – and you spoil this for me… Then I'll do more than just tell Mother and Father about lover-boy. I'll do something _unforgivable_. Something like this…" Bella removed the wand tip from her sister's head, moved it so it was aimed at the sobbing heap on the floor, and opened her mouth to say those final words.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

There was a flash of bright green light and the sobbing ceased immediately. Turning back to look at Andromeda and reigniting her wand light, it was plain to see that the teenage girl was pale as death and there was a single tear starting to trickle down her colorless cheek. Bellatrix released her sister angrily and walked over to the corpse – she needed something as evidence to the Dark Lord… but what? As she pondered this and searched through the woman's pockets and belongings, the sound of sobbing started again, but this time from Andromeda.

"Shut up, Dromeda!" Bella snapped irritably, acting as though she hadn't just killed someone in front of her younger sister and she was simply overreacting.

"Don't call me that! You have no right!" Suddenly Andromeda was almost as angrily as Bella had been.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, paying very little attention and not even turning to look at her.

"YOU'RE A MONSTER!" she suddenly yelled through her tears.

"Get over yourself!" she retorted, still distracted by her searching.

"BELLATRIX! YOU TORTURED AND KILLED A WOMAN! THAT IS _NOT_ NORMAL!" Andromeda was screaming at her now, Bella was still preoccupied, though she had come to rest upon one object; the wedding ring.

"Get a grip!" Bella was doing her best to ignore her sister, not really processing what it was she was saying. Deciding the wedding ring would suffice, she yanked the shining circular piece of metal and pocketed it. Andromeda saw.

"And now you're stealing from a dead woman! Have you no shame? No respect for the dead? It's bad enough you killed her but stealing from her too? You make me sick, Bellatrix." Bella finally had her attention fully directed towards her sister, her lips pursing as she rose to her feet again.

"She's a _muggle_. There's no reason for a muggle to deserve or receive respect of any kind – let alone mine," she replied coldly, glaring hatefully at Andromeda.

"I don't care what you do to me, I'll tell Mother-"

"You'll do no such thing! Anyway, once I tell her about - what's his name again? Fred, is it?"

"Ted."

"Whatever, I don't really care anyway. I'll just call him Mudblood instead. Anyhow, once I inform our _dear_ Mother about your little mudblood situation, I'm quite certain my killing a muggle will be quite overlooked. After all, at least what I did doesn't make me qualify as a filthy blood-traitor! Plus, if you do tell, I promise your precious '_Ted'_ won't reach his seventeenth birthday and that would be such a shame!" There was a very obvious teasing tone to Bella's voice which was only worsened by the fact that she was now proceeding to laugh.

Meanwhile, Andromeda realized that before that night, she would've been disgusted to hear Bella speak in such a way, but she wouldn't have actually worried she might follow through, now though… Now was a completely different matter altogether. Before she could make any semblance of a reply, Bella continued.

"Well Dromeda, it's getting rather late and I don't want to miss dinner, so if you don't mind I think I'll return to the house. I would offer to escort my younger sister, but I can apparate now and I fully intend to make use of that. As for you, if you want to sidelong apparate with me, you're very welcome." There was a very devious smirk on her face as she said this, it was this that unnerved Andromeda even more, it didn't help that she was already frightened by her elder sister after what she had witnessed. It was also quite odd for Bella to sound quite so generous and it was this that made her mind up for her. She would much rather walk back in the dark alone than possibly be splinched on purpose by Bella. Andromeda wasn't even sure that was possible but knowing Bella, she'd find a way or else make up for failing another way.

"I'd rather walk back." With a cold glare, she turned on her heel and back retracing her steps. Bella on the other hand, stared angrily after her before there was a crack, and she had disapparated.

* * *

Hope you liked it! ^_^


	15. Bitchcraft and Wizardry

I apologize for the huge gap in posting. I started this story at a time when I was in a really bad place and I had a lot of time to myself in which I was looking for escapism and this was it. As it is, I've recovered from it and have spent the past 11/12 months getting my life on track. I want to thank the person who messaged me about the story because I had been thinking about making another chapter and getting more done but hadn't had the inspiration before then to actually sit down and do it. But I have now. I may not post another chapter until late May/Early June but I'll try!

* * *

**Chapter 15 – Bitchcraft and Wizardry **

Bellatrix arrived back at Grimmauld Place in good time. She had apparated around the corner and silently let herself in the house. There was the smell of food cooking in the kitchens and the sound of her parents, aunt and uncle all exchanging talk over some topic of conversation or another. Not wanting them to know she had left the house – if indeed they hadn't noticed so far and Narcissa had kept her little trap shut – she took the stairs two at a time until she managed to track down her sister and cousins by the sound of child's voices.

Bella slipped inside the room – which happened to be Regulus' room – and took in the scene before her. The three were sat on the floor; Regulus and Sirius staring up at their thirteen year old cousin who seemed to be telling them a story. Bella's eyes rolled at the scene and she reluctantly sat next to her sister.

"..And so all the stupid muggles believed she was a tree when really, she was just an anima-"

"Shut up, Cissy, they've heard that story a million times!" Bella interjected rudely, ignoring the disappointment on her cousins' faces. "Anyway, more importantly, I think dinner shall be ready soon and if any of you say I wasn't with you the entire time I'll take your toy brooms and feed them to a manticore! I know plenty of manticores so don't think I won't." The threat was aimed at the two boys who looked very upset by this idea. Naricssa instead received a warning that spoke for itself.

"Father shall buy us new ones!" a little voice interrupted, provoking a horrified look from the owner's little brother.

"No he won't, Sirius, because I'll tell him you've been asking about muggles again!"

The nine year old wasn't sure whether to believe his cousin but it seemed he wasn't about to test it to find out. Or so it seemed for he had fallen silent.

"Where's Dromeda?" Narcissa suddenly chimed up, unaware that it might be something of a touchy subject.

"Doesn't matter. I don't know," Bella snapped back irritably, almost defensively. She had no idea how long it would take the middle Black sister to get back but she'd be perfectly content if she never did. Subconsciously, a hand slipped to the inside of her robes where the dead woman's ring weighed heavy in her pocket. She had really done it. She had killed a woman. She had killed and she… She enjoyed it.

There was a brief awkward and strained silence in the room that was finally interrupted by the door being opened once more to reveal a house elf with a large, odd looking nose.

"Master and Mistress Black have requested your presence at the dinner table." With that, the elf departed, leaving the four of them to make their way down.

Bellatrix was the first to leave in a rather hasty style, rising abruptly to her feet and sweeping out the room.

Dinner was a rather tense experience, even more so than usual. Andromeda was still not back and the tension between sisters-in-law was dominating the whole table. As it was, fifteen minutes in no more than five words had been exchanged yet. Dinner continued in this frosty manner until Druella finally looked to her youngest and eldest daughters and addressed the matter of the vacant chair between them.

"Where is your sister?"

The question hung awkwardly in the silence between the two and the whole concentration of the table shifted to the two girls. Narcissa then looked to Bella with uncertainty.

"She went out somewhere, never said where," Bella replied shortly, irritated that they were all waiting with such rapt attention for an answer from her.

"Can't you keep your girls under control, Druella?" Walburga chirped up, giving her sister-in-law a broad smirk. "Perhaps it's a good thing you didn't have any boys."

The look on Druella's face was that of someone making a huge effort to restrain some snappy remark or other; her lips were clearly pursed tightly, her face thunderous. A cackle from Walburga broke the composure.

"You have yet to deal with teenagers, Walburga, I wouldn't speak too soon if I were you. I'd hazard a guess that boys are _far_ more rebellious."

Dinner continued in this fashion of awkward silence and the occasional outburst of adult conversation for about an hour. Andromeda's whereabouts were still unknown. It wasn't until around midnight when Bella was sat with an old book on her lap in bed, that the sound of someone entering the house could be heard.

"BELLA!" The sound of Andromeda screeching her name was not a common one, at least not with quite so much anger.

Bellatrix pursed her lips tightly, hoping with all hope that her younger sister wasn't about to shout out for all the house to hear what she had witnessed earlier that evening.

"BELLA WHERE ARE YOU?" The sound of someone storming up the stairs was very audible, as was the sound of a door flying open.

"ANDROMEDA! WHERE IN MERLIN'S NAME HAVE YOU BEEN?" That was the last coherent thing Bella overheard before she returned to her book nonchalantly, intending to continue reading. Raised voices and a slamming of a door could be heard and in a matter of moments after that, her own bedroom door was thrown open.

"Temper, temper, Dromeda," Bella taunted patronizingly, her eyes not even looking up from her book.

"BELLA! YOU BITCH!" Bella's eyebrows raised slightly but her eyes themselves did not leave the page of her book. At least not until Andromeda stormed over to her, took the book from her hands and forcibly threw it across the room. Bella frowned deeply at this.

"What do you want?" she demanded coldly.

"I _hate _you with every fiber of my being!" Andromeda hissed venomously, not for the first time that evening sounding eerily like her older sister. "I have spent the past five hours trying to find my way back because of _you._ I have broken the underage magic law and nearly been expelled, I was _arrested_ by muggle hitwizards – polymen or whatever they're called – and all because they thought _I _had something to do with that woman! I only escaped because I used magic – WHICH I GOT A WARNING FOR."

Bella seemed uncharacteristically calm, that is up until Andromeda finished.

"Are you quite finished yet?" she asked icily. "Because might I remind you that it was _you_ who followed _me_ and I did offer to sidelong apparate, did I not? So don't come crying to me Andromeda because neither I, nor anyone else for that matter, will be giving you any sympathy. No one will believe you if you tell anyone and I certainly can't promise I'll keep your secret to myself if you do. Now, I advise you to take your pathetic little pity party and get. Out. Of. My. Room. NOW!" The last few words were said far more aggressively and Andromeda seemed to pick up on the underlying hostility for though she reluctantly did, she turned tail and left her sister though not without a final scathing glare.

* * *

Hope this chapter flowed properly after so many months of not updating! Reviews very welcome 3


End file.
